A Foolish Bet
by Mares-a-Mares
Summary: It's tough, having a slave that won't listen to you. However, when Mishao, an orphen succubus of a noble family claims Overlord Laharl through a forced contract written by King Krichevskoy when he was 5, things could REALLY take a turn for the worst.
1. Episode 1: Who's Mishao?

The room was dark, but a single candle was lit. A somewhat secretive aura surrounded the room as two 5 year-old children were playing a simple card game. This game, in particular, was forbidden. The game was made strictly for the rich, wealthy, and for those who have much to give. Not to mention those with great power. However, a simple bet that is thrown into the elements of game-play can put all that power to ruin.

However, these were no ordinary children playing. The young boy, sitting in the fancy looking chair, was in fact, the Overlord's son and heir to the throne; Prince Krichevskoy. His opponent; was the youngest daughter of the noble branch of the Crimstone royal family: Mishao.

Krichevskoy seemed to be in a pinch. Mishao held all the strings to this game, and he seemed to be getting pulled farther and farther from the pot of gold. He thought hard of what he could bet, but nothing came to mind. "Hmm…I can't think of anything."

Mishao sighed. This game was too easy for her. She needed a new challenge. Either that or a new opponent…"Well, you've gotta think of SOMETHING fast or otherwise it's "Choose from the Hat"."

Krichevskoy sighed. "I know…I know…It's just hard to think of what else I could bet without anything getting noticed." He faced Mishao. "Alright, I guess…It's "Choose from the Hat", then…"

Mishao wrote various options on a large piece of paper. "Okay, but since I'm the one currently winning, I get to give you your choices."

He nervously nodded, as he watched the pieces of paper fall into the hat, and get mixed inside. "There's no second try, right? You get what you get?"

Mishao just simply nodded. "Can't grab another one. Once the paper says, it's what you'll bet."

Krichevskoy lifted a piece of paper from the hat, peeking at the words Mishao wrote. He wished he had grabbed another one instead. Mishao tried to peek at the words, but Krichevskoy hid it from her. She huffed. "Aww, come on. Tell me what it is~!"

He slowly opened his mouth as he slowly checked the paper again, just to make sure. "…Your…first…son…" He breathed out the last word in disbelief. "Why did you write something like that, Mishao?" He faced her, almost disgusted at the hand-writing he was holding in his hands. "I could never bet something like that!"

Mishao sighed. "Look, I didn't know you were going to pick that one, okay? It was just a list of things to bet. It's not MY fault…Anyways; let's start the game-play, okay? Maybe you'll actually get lucky for once."

He nodded slowly as he let himself slide back into his chair. "O-okay…"

However, as he almost expected, luck was not on his side that night. Like all bets they made, he had to sign a contract to each and every one of them. Even…that one. After that night, Krichevskoy hardly ever talked to Mishao anymore. So much, he hardly remembered her. He even forgot all about WHY he stopped visiting his childhood friend…Maybe he should've kept a note somewhere…

19000 years later…

Crimson eyes peered open to see the blank ceiling of his dark room. The young overlord arose from his coffin, and climbed out to get to his daily routine.

Let's see…first things first, he had to get some breakfast. There was NO way he was getting to his work without breakfast, first!

Episode 1: Who's Mishao?

Breakfast flew by without much change. His vassals were still just as annoying as ever, and Flonne and Etna were bothering him about his food, as usual. The only thing he could really do in that time, however, was tune everything out as he ate his food.

Now fully regenerated, he gave a brisk walk into the paperwork room, where he pulled up the chair that he always sat in when he set to work on this boring task.

As he thought, paperwork was very boring, as per usual. Let's see…Prinny request for lower work and higher pay…NO. Invitation from Jenus to Maratsu Evil Academy…Are you kidding me? She'd already asked just last night! NO! "Blah blah, boring…Hmm?"

He pulled up a piece of paper that seemed to stand out from all the rest. 'This is different…' He narrowed his eyes a bit and took a look at the parchment.

"Dear Overlord," He enunciated.

"_Dear Overlord. I have come to gain my prize. According to the bet, by contract, you belong to me. If you object to the matter, come to the Heart of Evil."_

He lowered his head; his face covered by the shadow of his bangs. "I belong to you, you say…?" He muttered under his breath. "…YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" He yelled out loud, startling his subjects.

A certain vassal came into the room. "Whoa, Prince! What's up?"

"'What's up' is that I need to handle a certain case. And if I don't…well." He turned to her. "Clear up my schedule. I'm heading to the Heart of Evil."

"Huh?" She blinked. 'He hasn't gone there since he became an Overlord! Why would he clear up his schedule to go to the Heart of Evil?' She then sat on the desk. "Alright, Prince…What's going on? You don't usually visit the Heart of Evil all that much…"

"…Personal matters that just came up." He answered. "Just clear up my schedule, Etna, and don't ask about it." He got out of his chair and walked down the hall to the door. As he passed her, he mused, "I'm not even entirely sure what it's about…"

Etna sighed. She then noticed a piece of paper that was left on the desk. "Huh?" She said as she picked up the paper to read it. "…What the HECK is going on?"

At the Heart of Evil, a cloaked figure stood in front of Laharl. All he could see was white fluffy hair, slipping through the opening of the hood, with an additional pair of blood-red eyes. This figure was a girl, in fact, and busty too. Not a good combination to him… The cloaked figure opened her mouth, her tone somewhat mysterious. "I've been waiting for you, dear Overlord."

"Let's get straight to the point…what's this about me belonging to you!" Laharl clenched his fist, glaring daggers at her.

"Officially, you belong to me, by the contract." She said, as she brought out a paper that had a strange aura to it. "This contract was officially signed by the late king Krichevskoy, 19000 years ago!"

He snatched the contract from her and looked it over. "…How dare that old man…do such a thing…and not even TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT!" He tossed the contract roughly back at her, clenching his fists tightly. "I object to his idiocy! He's not around anymore, so it shouldn't matter! No contract is gonna tell me how to rule my life!"

"Actually, it does matter. And besides, it was meant to be kept secret anyways. Otherwise we could've gotten killed. Anyways, you've read the contract, so you should know by now if it matters or not.

Laharl got her point clearly. "Dang it…There's nothing I can do about this…" He looked away to the side. "Well, then…now what?"

"First things first, wear this." She said as she brought out a collar. "This will be the symbol of ownership. Of course, as a defense mechanism, you can't harm me without hurting yourself.

Listening to her explanation about the collar, his jaw dropped. "…Are you kidding me? I'm not wearing THAT! Besides, I already have something on my neck…"

Mishao was already getting tired of this brat's attitude. "Alright then, how about a game of tag? I'm 'it'."

Laharl stepped back as Mishao was ready to lunge. "Geh-You're not…" He was beginning to run, however Mishao didn't lunge, but POUNCED. He was just about to get out of the way, but the contact with her breasts and the floor made it hard to get away. He was caught in her trap.

"N-No! G-get off me! Keep your sexy body away from me!" He yelled as he struggled. Mishao lifted the tip of his scarf out of the way, exposing his gold choker. She proceeded to remove the choker, replacing it with the collar she had prepared for him. "There!"

Laharl could hardly see anything except for those hideous, monstrous breasts that squashed his face, disgusting him. He proceeded to complain since that was his only option at the moment. Mishao lifted herself with her wings from on top of him, and landed softly on the ground. "I'm not on top of you anymore, you can stop screaming."

He slowly opened his eyes, and got up from the ground; brushing the dirt from his red shorts. He also took this time to examine the collar that was placed on him. From what he could see, it was a midnight-purple, with a midnight blue ring in the middle. "You dare give me a collar…"

Mishao wanted to get past this part of her presentation already, so she ignored his comments. "Now then, due to the contract, I own your possessions. If you missed that part of the contract, I can always have you look again."

Laharl growled. This meant that she owned his castle, servants, allowance, account, EVERYTHING…"I just wanna make one thing clear to you…I'm not gonna give up my life to a stupid contract. Forget it if you think I'll play your little game of "Master and Slave".

She figured he wouldn't give up easily. He is Krichevskoy's son after all. "Well, then. I'll have to work hard to break you. So you BETTER be prepared."

He just grinned back at her competitively. "Hmph. I'd just like you to see you TRY.

It seemed like the battle between the two had JUST begun…

Episode 1: Who's Mishao? -END

Alright, I got a bad review, so I've improved it to my liking, since this was technically a YEAR old. I don't own anything having to do with Nippon Ichi, but I do own the story and Mishao and Crimstone family whatnot. Basically, OCs is MINE.

Read and Review, please.


	2. Episode 2: Get Off Your Lazy Butt

Episode 2: Get Off Your Lazy Butt

He could still recall her words as he drifted to sleep in his coffin.

"_Now that you've made your point, I'll continue."_

_Laharl paused. "…There's MORE?"_

_Mishao nodded. "Of course there's more. For one thing, I can't have you as a slave if you won't work. Therefore, we're going to find out your skills tomorrow. Meet me back at the Heart of Evil at the crack of dawn."_

_He protested. "I can't wake up that early! I can hardly wake up at 6:00! And that's WITH Etna waking me up!"_

_She just rolled her eyes. "Should I get you an alarm clock? Oh wait…Now that I think about it, there's an alarm system inside of your collar."_

_He examined the collar. "There is? I don't see anything…"_

_Mishao pulled him forward by the collar, the body following suit, sending Laharl's face in her breasts as she messed with the collar around his neck. Laharl wanted to pull away, but she had a good hold on him. He'll have to reward her with an "Overlord's Wrath" later for her good grip._

_Mishao opened the ring in the middle of the collar, revealing a compartment inside. She played with the wires that the body of the collar dressed, setting things just how she wanted them. After she finished, she closed the compartment, and released her hold on the collar. Laharl moved as far away from her as he could, eventually retreating behind a filthy rock. Mishao stared at him in disbelief as she could only see his antennas from behind the rock. "You're quite the coward, aren't you?"_

_Laharl twitched. If there was anything he hated more then those hideous sexy bodies, it had to be calling HIM of all people, a "coward". He rushed from behind the rock straight to her face, leave his sanctuary behind. "I'M NO COWARD!"_

_She grinned. "You've deserted your hiding spot, then? Anyways, I think that's enough for today. I'll expect to see you here at the crack of dawn, or I'll DRAG you here."_

_He hesitated to let his knees drop. "I told you, I can't wake up that early…" He watched Mishao as a very mischievous expression painted her face. "What's that face for!"_

_She faced him. "Why don't you go on home? Don't worry. I guarantee that you'll be here at the crack of dawn, WITHOUT my help."_

Laharl looked up at his ceiling. 'Hmm…What DID she mean by that? Is she really thinking I'll GO? …Idiot!' He actually felt a little amused, thinking about how she would be stuck waiting, and HE wouldn't show up at all!

With that, Laharl curled up into a ball as he usually did, and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. However, it didn't last as long as he intended. When the crack of dawn came, the collar around the sleeping Overlord glowed, and sent him into an electric burst, waking him up instantly. "Grah!" He screamed, as he threw himself from his coffin, and straight onto the floor of his room. He rolled nearby the door way to his room, growling as the last spark left his body. "Ugh…What happened…?"

He then faced towards his window, clearly seeing that it was nearing the crack of dawn. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…" He said, his head shaking in disbelief. 'THIS is the wake-up alarm? More like a shower of death!' He felt like screaming into the other room, but he refrained. Instead, he climbed back into his coffin. "Few more minutes shouldn't hurt…" He almost whispered to himself, reassuring that Mishao was just bluffing about dragging him away. He closed his eyes as sleep, captured him once more.

But it was only for a brief moment. He woke up, his eyes opening slowly; as he felt something hard was brushing against him constantly. He quickly came to his senses as he noticed that it wasn't the hard surface moving, it was HIM. He then looked up to see who was dragging him across the floor, and to his dismay, it was Mishao. She didn't look very happy…

He struggled to get her to release her grip on him, but it was in vain. She was easily snaring him into her traps, her killer grips absolute. All he could do currently in this situation, was complain and hopefully wake up his vassals-…then again, that was the LAST thing he would want at the moment. What about his image?

As soon as Mishao opened a portal to the Heart of Evil, leaving behind the castle Laharl knew the most; she stepped in front of her home, and decided she needed to slam-dunk this lazy brat right into the cold hard dirt. Laharl impacted with the ground, face-first. "Ouch! What was THAT for?" He protested.

She huffed, feeling at least a BIT better then she did. "Alright now…show me your skills. You should at least be good at SOMETHING…" She growled faintly, hoping it would slightly be noticed.

Laharl brushed the dirt off his shorts as he got up off the floor. "Why should I show you anything? You threw me into the dirt after dragging me by my leg. It's still a little sore." Obviously, the young Overlord was currently in a sour mood. However, the last thing he wanted to do at this point was piss Mishao off some more.

Mishao could almost hear her head irrupting. "You'll show me, or I'll THROW you right into a night club, you lazy ass!" Laharl winced, and then grumbled as he paced back and forth.

'Great…What am I supposed to do? What do I even START with? I don't wanna be stuck in a night-club with all those creepy sexy bodies…' He thought as he paced. "FINE, what do I start with?"

Mishao nodded in satisfaction. "Good. You can start by building me a palace to live in. I already made some blue-prints, so just try to follow them." Laharl looked over the blue-prints, examining the stupid thing. "It looks a little complicated…" He mumbled as he looked it over. 'I don't have much experience when it comes to building things…but I can't let HER know that! I'm the Overlord; I should know how to do EVERYTHING!' he thought to himself, his infamous pride boiling as he reassured himself. He faced Mishao. "Alright. I will build your stupid palace. Just don't get in my way." He warned her.

Mishao nodded. "I expect you to be done with it before the week ends. Get to work; the materials are right behind you. If you're not finished today, sleep here overnight." She pointed her right index finger towards a pile of materials to start with. Laharl looked right behind him. 'That's a huge pile of stuff. Did SHE carry that here? It wasn't there yesterday…'

To conclude, Mishao climbed up a tree, sitting on the sturdiest branch, waiting for her slave to finish his work. Laharl looked over the blue-prints again, and began to work.

The entire process was difficult for the young Overlord, putting much strain on his body as he worked. He ended up hitting his hand with the hammer countless times, and his hands were practically a bloody red. There were even times where he drove the nail accidentally right into his hand. Mishao yawned as she watched him, her eye-lids fighting for a wink or two. She let them fall, allowing herself to fall into a deep sleep. This turned out to be for a few days…

"…Hey…"

"Hey!"

Mishao slowly opened her eyes to see Laharl, staring up at her. "Hmm…?"

Laharl pointed towards the newly made palace he made. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst, either. "Your dumb palace is done. Go take a nap in there." She nodded, slipping from the branch onto the floor, the impact slight. She walked past Laharl, pulling out a bag of potato-chips from her large bag, where she kept her valuables. She then faced him as she threw the bag towards him, catching him off guard as she caught it. "Here, your treat for doing a good job. You can go home for today. Same meet-up time as yesterday."

Laharl looked at the bag, and then faced her, annoyed. "I'm no dog!" He growled, opening the bag, and shoving the contents into his mouth at a fast pace. Mishao smiled. "You still took it, either way."

He turned away. "T-that's only because it's food that I'll eat! Besides, it didn't look poisoned…"

She sighed. "Anyways, like I said, you can go home now. Meet me again at the crack of dawn." She raised her hand, charging up energy to project a portal leading to the Overlord's Castle.

Laharl threw the empty bag carelessly behind him as he stepped into the portal. He grumbled as he went. "Great, now that this stuff is over with, next I'll have to do paperwork…" He disappeared from sight, as the portal closed.

Mishao grinned as she opened the large front door, leading into the newly made palace. "There's been some progress. I guess he's breakable after all." She giggled as the huge door shut behind her, leaving but an echo of an impact.

Episode 2: Get Of Your Lazy Butt- END

Another chapter rewritten! Yay~!

Anyways, I just wanna make one thing clear to everyone. "A Foolish Bet", is a year-old idea I had, and had written in Microsoft Word so I could keep the story somewhat fresh in my head. However, I have made changes from the beta that I have kept on my computer, and only some a few days ago saw the beta version of prologue/episode 1. Mainly, it was a test to see how people thought of my writing skills 1 year-ago. I knew it needed improvements, and during my free time, weekends AND after school, I have been working on this project. I hope you all enjoy the reading, and please review to let me hear your opinions; they really help me think hard of how to improve.


	3. Episode 3: Cooking OverlordSide Up

Episode 3: Cooking Overlord-Side up

The day started for the young Overlord when a painful strike from the collar around his neck, signaled that it was time to get up. Laharl growled more then screamed about the pain. This was bad, he was starting to get used to the alarm clock! Already!

Shortly after the alarm ceased, he sat up in his coffin, shaking his head; letting the sleep in his eyes fade. When it did, he stood up and walked out of his room. He wasn't gonna let himself get dragged by Mishao anymore! Though it meant that he'd have to wake up Allietta, instead…Well, better Allietta then ANY sexy body. He let his eyes wander as he walked down through the throne room.

The Overlord's Castle's current environment was very dull. The throne room was filled with slacking vassals, sleeping in their spot. Laharl couldn't blame them, actually. Although his vassals should be efficient, even HE believed that he wouldn't be able to stay up to guard, hardly getting any sleep. However, he DID feel a little tempted to wake them...but he refrained.

He walked past the sleeping vassals, heading the direction of the Industrial District of the castle, where the Dimensional Gate lay. Inside of the room, there were several sections that led to various portals like the Dark Assembly, or the Item World. There was a section that hosted the RosenQueen Netherworld branch, even. In the very back of the Industrial District was the Dimensional Gate, guarded by the sleeping Dimensional Gatekeeper, Allietta.

Laharl sat down beside her, and raised his left index finger to poke her. Allietta mumbled something in her sleep as she used her left hand to bat away at Laharl's finger. Laharl insisted, and continued to poke her. He needed to wake her up, WITHOUT waking up the other vassals…So he thought that poking would do any good? Hmph, it doesn't work with him…

Next, he tried to whisper. "Hey…Allietta, wake up." Allietta responded to this with a punch to the face. Laharl fell over, and stood up, his inner volcano erupting. "Allietta! GET UP already!" He started kicking her in the side. He wasn't even trying to stay quiet now…

Eventually, it worked. Allietta sat up, rubbing her eyes. She then looked over at Laharl and smiled. "Good morning, Prince. Is there a reason why you're up so early?" She asked him, gently slowing down the young Overlord's pace. Laharl sat down and sighed. "Finally, you're up. Listen, I need you to open a portal to the Heart of Evil. Don't tell anyone where I've gone if they ask, understand?"

Allietta nodded slowly. It seemed that the Prince had his own private matters to attend to, and he didn't want anyone to interrupt him or know of it. She smiled at him, and stood up. "I will open the portal immediately. Please make sure you are prepared though, Prince."

Laharl thought hard. 'Prepared to be pushed around by a gross sexy body? Never.' He nodded at her. "I'm prepared already. Just open the gate…"

Allietta nodded, and raised her hand as she charged up energy, which formed a portal leading to the Heart of Evil. Laharl had seen all the other demons project portals so easily, but he couldn't make one himself. 'Could it be one of the downsides to the fact I'm not a full-fledged demon? Darn it, who ever heard of an Overlord who couldn't open PORTALS?' He thought to himself, as he stepped through the newly made portal. The environment changed as the scene changed from his gloomy castle, to the Heart of Evil, with its slimy, disgusting lake. The portal to the other side opened, which sent Laharl through, allowing him to land on the ground with ease.

The palace he had constructed was in front of him, almost looking down at him, shrinking him down to a mere SLAVE. This stupid contract thing was REALLY getting to him…He growled as he walked towards the front door, and opened the front door, large as it was. He walked through the opening he made, and let go of the door, letting it do its traditional echo as he walked through the front hall. He remembered when he was constructing this room. Everything was a PAIN to put together, not to mention the fancy designs he had to carve on the walls, like Mishao requested in the blue-prints. He came to what the blue-print said, entitled the Living Room.

Inside this room, Mishao was resting on an enormous fancy couch, her cloak to the side. He hardly ever saw her without the cloak, so he figured she was comfortable at the moment. He decided to examine her, ignoring the bouncy breasts that clang to her, being cushioned by a huge amount of pillows. Her white hair was short, kind of…fluffy. She had a midnight blue top, connected by a short dark-green dress that split apart at the middle. Underneath this, she had black pants, with midnight blue shoes. She also had blue earrings, two criss-cross black arm rests, and a choker similar to Etna's, only there was netting on the loop, with a symbol Laharl didn't recognize in the middle. It looked like a T, but there was an anchor at the bottom, so it looked more like a…I.

Mishao slowly opened her eyes to see Laharl staring at her from a distance. She sighed. "What? Do I look that SEXY?" She asked, rather annoyed.

Laharl stepped back. "Wha-No, you idiot! I was just seeing how many ways I could kill you in your sleep!" He protested. Mishao gave him a look that said "try that again and you're dead".

She didn't say that however. Instead she grinned; amused for a reason Laharl was confused about. "You know…" She began, "Death threats are worth punishing for. You hardly KNOW how I have punished my servants or slaves in the past, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut before I DO let you know."

Laharl grumbled. 'Maybe SHE should be the one punished for enslaving the OVERLORD…' He thought. Then he came up with an idea…which he abandoned, because his vassals would never work with him, not to mention he couldn't even let them know about this. He could risk blackmail and all other sort of things they had done when he trusted them in the past…They'd also ask for more money-raises if he even asked them for ANYTHING, so he decided to forget the whole thing. Mishao was the one who interrupted his train of thought by pinching him in the back. Laharl jumped back, turning around to face her. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"

Mishao nodded, glad she had his attention. "Better. Now then, today we're gonna see how you do with…Cooking."

Laharl blinked. "Cooking? Alright, what're you gonna make me COOK?" He asked, slightly annoyed at the fact she was ordering him around again.

Mishao pulled out a recipe from a cookbook she picked up from the table. "Today, you're cooking this; it's actually rather simple. A kind of food from the Human World, I hear." She handed him the recipe.

Laharl took the recipe and looked it over. "'Eggs on Toast'? It DOES sound simple…" He checked it again, and then faced Mishao, almost like if he was commanding her. "Do you have the stuff required?"

She just shook her head, and grinned. "Nope, I'd figured I'd let you go grocery shopping." Laharl clenched his fist. "I'm not gonna go shopping in public for you! What about my image?"

Mishao rolled her eyes. He was THAT worried about his image? "Well, if you don't want to be seen, I have some clothes and hair-gel. I'm not sure you'll like them, though…" She went over to a chest and pulled out clothes that looked like something a butler would wear. Laharl growled. Is it THAT hard to get him to do ANYTHING?

She huffed. "Fine, make me a cake, or I'll punish you!" This wasn't going like she planned…

Laharl grinned. "Do we have the materials for THAT, too?" He was quite amused with the fact Mishao forgot to prepare. Something like this could be taken advantage of…"Why don't I just go home, and YOU can go shopping?" He tried to see if his plan would work.

Mishao twitched. She was REALLY getting tired of his arrogance, and something had to be done about it. Should she punish him, or not…Would it work? "Nah, I'm not THAT pissed of yet…" She mumbled, and then she faced him. "Then again…You have been finding ways to turn the tables. Something like that is worth punishing for." She grinned.

Laharl gulped. It seemed like he had been too careless, and Mishao was noticing. "S-so…What IS the punishment?" He stepped back, until he slammed against the wall. 'This isn't going according to plan…'

Mishao grabbed his wrist, and slammed it against the wall. She then leaned into him, making him want to inch back. However, there wasn't any room for that…Instead, Mishao's lips connected with his, sending Laharl into a flinch.

She placed her left hand against his back and pushed him forward, pulling him farther into the kiss. He was certain he could taste something sweet or at least something close to it… Laharl tried to pull away from the kiss, but as usual, Mishao held him firm. Not to mention, for some weird reason, he felt…weak. His eyes narrowed. He sort of felt like if his energy was being drained…Or was that his breath…?

Mishao decided to slip her tongue inside his mouth, Laharl replying with a slight shiver. He felt like his entire mouth was being molested, and there wasn't much he could do. He felt slightly…entranced.

It was actually Mishao who broke the kiss. She pulled away from Laharl's mouth and stepped back from him, a grin on her face. "There. I gave you a little "sneak-peek" at what I do to my slaves. Try not to anger me again." She released Laharl's wrist.

Laharl slumped against the wall, onto the floor. "W-Wha…" Obviously, it would take a little while for the young Overlord to come to his senses again. "S-sneak-peek…?"

She turned towards him. "You can go home now, by the way. Same meet-up time tomorrow. We'll find out how you cook, then." Laharl slowly got up, feeling a little numb. "Y-yeah…" He happened to mutter. Mishao opened a portal for him, and he stumbled through, the visions of what happened still playing in his head. She placed her hand to her chin in a thoughtful way as she watched him go. "I wonder if that was a little too much..."

Meanwhile, back at the Overlord's Castle…

Laharl pulled a set of stamps out and got to his paperwork. He hadn't said a thing since he went back home. He stamped a piece of paper, requesting an audience. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anything right now, really. After he had finished with his paperwork, he looked at his wrist. He suddenly saw Mishao in front of him, so he quickly looked again. She wasn't there.

"Great, now I'm hallucinating…She dare…do THAT to m-me…" His voice was rather shaky, almost single breaths. He clenched his fists in frustration, his bangs hiding his face... "I can't have another repeat of that…not again…" His voice was hardly above a whisper.

Outside of Laharl's Paperwork Room, Etna stood in front of the door. She put her ear against the door, but she could hardly hear anything. Was he already finished? She turned around, her back resting against the door. She slowly closed her eyes, thoughtfully. 'Something's been going on…And what was that note? I think the Prince needs to explain a few things…'

The sound of a body's weight against the door made Laharl jump, his eyes growing wide. He gulped, steadying his voice before he spoke. "Who's out there? I couldn't hear anyone."

Etna quickly jumped when she heard Laharl's voice. He was IN there? She turned around, facing the door. "P-Prince, it's me, Etna. Is there something wrong?" She questioned him, a door distancing them.

Through the door, Etna's question ringed through Laharl's ears. Laharl sighed. "Hmph, why would there be? Anyways, enough about me; get back to work." He ordered, waiting for a reply.

The reply did come. Etna sighed. "Alright, Prince…Tell me if you have a nightmare." She said, playfully, as she walked from the door. As soon as she walked away from the door, however, that positive feeling faded to nothing. She paused in her steps. 'Something is wrong. I just know it…' She thought, clenching her fists. 'Dang it, Prince, why do you always have to hide things…'

Back inside the room, Laharl could hear as Etna walked away, her playful words stabbing him in the back. 'Hmph, even if she knew what was going on, she couldn't be of much help, anyway.' He thought, walking towards the door, and leaving the room. When he shut the door, he stopped short. '…Not even Flonne should be involved in this…Am I on my own in this, as usual?' He shook the thoughts from his head temporarily. However, he knew that those thoughts would come back.

They always did.

Episode 3: Cooking Overlord-Side Up- END

It seems like Laharl's hiding a BIG secret. What could it be? Anyways, more screen time for Etna, whee~!(If she didn't get enough already…) I'm not sure if I'll even put Flonne in this story. Maybe sometime, just not right now.

So, read and review please. Criticisms always help me think of how to improve.


	4. Episode 4: Another Side of the Tale

Episode 4: Another Side of the Tale

All that was heard at the moment was the sound of scratching chalk against the board. The entire room was flooded with all kinds of demons, ready to take on their daily good deeds. This classroom was unlike any other, and its teacher was dedicated to her work.

The Fallen Angel, Flonne, had taken the responsibilities of starting her own class, teaching the subject of Love. She had talked to Laharl about it a few months ago and, grudgingly, he allowed it. Since then, everyday Flonne always got her materials ready in time for her students to come, making sure she was always prepared. Of course, this didn't mean that she was perfect. In truth, she was a clumsy, absent-minded Love Freak.

Flonne turned to face her class. "Alright, now is everyone finished with their postcards?" She asked, her high-pitched sweet voice spreading throughout the entire classroom. The class turned to her. One yelled out "5 more minutes", as the class said "Yes". Flonne blinked, and walked over to the only demon boy who hadn't finished. "What's the matter? Are you having any problems?" She kindly asked the boy.

The demon boy, Eric, sighed deeply. "No, nothing…It's just lack of inspiration, I guess." He looked down at his unfinished post-card. "Anyways, what are we supposed to do with these things?" Flonne smiled. "You're supposed to give it to the ones you care about the most. If you'd like, I could have the rest of the class move on, and I'll help you with yours."

Eric smiled. "Thanks, that'd help a lot, Miss Flonne." He then started to pick up the marker on his table, and thought hard about what to write. Flonne walked back to the front of the class, ready to motivate the class again. "Alright, thank you for those who have finished. If you could sign the back of your postcards with your names and put them in this basket, I'll grade them tonight and pass it back to everyone tomorrow." She placed her hand beside a grey colored basket, signifying that was the basket she was talking about.

The majority of the class stood up, dropping their pencils off the desks, and placing them into the basket Flonne had beside her. Flonne thanked them one by one as they passed her. After the rest of the class left, she walked over to Eric. "Alright, so what's the problem exactly?" She sat down in a seat, beside Eric's desk. Eric nodded and handed her his postcard. "Mainly, I guess I don't know who to give it to. There's my Mom or Dad, and then…there's the hospital lady…" He hid his face, blushing.

Flonne giggled. "So you really like the hospital lady?" She could tell what the answer was when she saw a corner of Eric's reddened face. "So, why don't you give it to her? I'm sure she'll love it."

Eric slowly nodded as he wrote down the hospital lady's name. "A-Alright…I'll give it to her." He flipped the postcard around, wrote his name, and handed it to Flonne. "Make sure nothing happens to it, okay?" Eric then ran out of the classroom, leaving Flonne the only one inside. She slowly nodded as she watched the door slam shut, darkness surrounding the entire room.

She sighed. "Phew, what a day! I'm glad I was able to get a lot of progress today, though. Now then…Maybe I should see if there any lunch ready yet." She ran out of the classroom, the light inside the castle welcoming her as she stepped into it. She looked around the castle, seeing if anyone was eating anything. Nope, still working…Isn't it lunch-time? Didn't Laharl give them a break?

She walked towards a Prinny, by the name of Jester. "Excuse me, but…Isn't it supposed to be lunch-time right now?" Jester sighed, shaking his head. "Lord Laharl hasn't been around enough, dood. For some weird reason, he's always out of the castle by the time we wake up, dood…Not to mention; we don't see him until after bed-time, dood. And he always looks tired…dood."

Flonne nodded, acknowledging the situation. "So, since Laharl's always out, he can't say if we have a break or not…But in that case, everyone will have to work non-stop!" She gasped. "I know~! I'll find Laharl and bring him back here! I'm sure that there's a clue in the castle about where he went…"

Jester nodded in agreement. "That'd be AWESOME, dood!" He then looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. "Oh, by the way, dood. Master Etna has been pretty busy about trying to figure out something dood. Maybe you should pay her a visit, dood." Flonne nodded. "Okay. Maybe Etna's trying to figure out the same thing…" She walked out of the hall, heading towards Etna's room.

She stopped by Etna's room, slowly knocking on the door.

"What're you doing there, Flonne?" Etna asked. Flonne quickly jumped back. "M-Miss Etna! You're not your room? What have you been up to?"

Etna sighed deeply. It seems like she'd been frustrated. "Okay, listen closely, Flonne. It's about the Prince." Flonne gasped, and quickly grew attentive. Etna looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then she huddled beside Flonne, moving towards her ear. "Okay, here's the thing. The Prince, since he received a mysterious note in his paperwork a week ago, he's been constantly going to the Heart of Evil."

Flonne leaned away, blinking. 'The Heart of Evil, why would Laharl go there…?' She thought, and then came back to her senses. "…A note? Where did you find it? Can I see it?" She asked. It seemed like this was the clue she needed.

Etna nodded. "He actually dropped it on his way to his first trip to the Heart of Evil. It's so weird, though, doesn't make any sense..." She pulled the note out of the hidden pocket of her top. "I doubt you're gonna get anything."

Flonne nodded, and took it. She opened the note, and read the crumpled note closely. It read…

_Dear Overlord,_

_I have come to gain my prize. According to the bet, by contract, you belong to me. If you object to the matter, come to the Heart of Evil._

Flonne gasped in disbelief. "So, this is the note that Laharl received?" She questioned Etna. Etna just yawned. "Yup, took off as soon as he read it. Ever since then, there's never been a time I've had to wake him up, and he's out of the castle by the time I wake up."

Flonne nodded as she looked at the note again. "I thought that you were one of the early risers, Etna…What time DOES Laharl wake up now?"

She just shrugged. "I don't know; the crack of dawn?" She guessed. "The only way we'll EVER know anything is by stalking him!"

Flonne's huge red ribbon stuck straight up. "Etna, that's brilliant! It's just what we'll have to do!"

Etna sighed in a tired manner. "You DO know he's gonna CREAM us for this, right…?" Flonne simply ignored her protests, and grabbed her wrist, dragging Etna all the way across the entire castle against her will.

Etna freaked the entire trip through. As soon as Flonne reached her destination, she dropped Etna onto the floor, and headed inside Laharl's room. Etna fell right on her face. "Ouch, that hurt, Flonne! Why're we in the Prince's room, anyway?"

Flonne sighed. "He's still not back…" She then noticed a door leading to…Laharl's bathroom? Kyaaa! However, she kept her composure, and opened the door. "We're gonna hide in here until he gets back." Etna's jaw dropped. "Wha- We can't hide in the Prince's bathroom! What if he takes a shower?"

Flonne cheerfully smiled. "Then go get some blind-folds!"

So, the hours passed, and there was no sign of Laharl until…

Flonne looked out the bathroom window. "What, it's this late already? Hurry up, Laharl~…!" She yelled in protest.

Just then, they heard a sound from outside the bathroom door. Flonne gasped, and hid inside the tub.

Outside, she could hear the door opening…it wasn't…? She took a peek and notice she locked the bathroom door! Phew…

Meanwhile, outside the door, Laharl was in a mood. Not only did he have to deal with the dumb chores Mishao assigned him daily, she obtained a habit of licking his cheek! JUST the time for him to lock the door with the keys inside! He growled, and started getting ready to kick the door down.

Inside the bathroom, Flonne sighed. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to lock the door...Until she heard something hard slam into the door! Panicking, she hid in Laharl's basket of dirty clothes. It wasn't a pleasant smell, but it was better than getting the door smashed into her face! She then realized that she wasn't alone; Etna came up with the same idea as her, and was keeping quiet and very, VERY still.

Flonne had to cover her mouth to prevent screaming when the door flew right into the sink. Laharl was home…he didn't look happy, either.

Laharl finally sighed, as his legs gave out due to exhaustion. "Ugh…Dang that Mishao…And I've still got paperwork to do…Chances are, at the most I'll be able to sleep for 3 hours or less." He closed his eyes. "IF I'm lucky."

Flonne and Etna blinked as they listened to Laharl's rambling. As he spoke to himself, the same question kept playing inside Flonne's head…

"Who's Mishao?"

Episode 4: Another Side of the Tale-END

Alright, it's after Halloween, so I actually had some time to work on Episode 4. Flonne finally makes an appearance! Yay!

On the other hand, it seems Laharl's situation isn't getting any better. Well, see you in Episode 5! Please review to tell me what you think, and how I could do better!

Mares-a-Mares


	5. Episode 5: The Pain and Lies

Episode 5: The Pain and Lies

Laharl fell asleep inside the bathroom after he ranted to himself for about 2 hours. Flonne could see that he was clearly exhausted. She sighed quietly, and tapped Etna's shoulder. "Etna…I think we should stop for today. We've gathered enough information…"

Etna nodded. "Yeah…" She got up out of the basket, clothes falling to the floor. "Flonne, we're going to the Heart of Evil." Flonne blinked. "But, do we have enough information that we can waltz right in there?" Etna grinned. "But that means that something IS there. Otherwise, nothing would be there. SUPPOSEDLY, that is."

Flonne smiled brightly. "Wow! That WOULD make sense!" She then walked over to the sleeping Overlord, debating to lift him up. "But should we leave Laharl on the floor like this?" She questioned the demoness, wondering if this was really the right choice.

Etna sighed. "Look, Flonne…If the Prince wakes up and finds out we've headed to the Heart of Evil, he'd try to stop us. So, if we're trying to find out what he's hiding, it'd be best to leave him behind and question him later!" Then the question came upon them.

"Would there be a later?" Flonne finally asked, Etna slightly flinching. It was the one question they BOTH couldn't answer. The only person who knew who Mishao was exactly…was the Overlord, Laharl…Etna closed her eyes, decided it was best to shrug it off. "Well, it'll mean that we're not very good as vassals, huh?"

Flonne grumbled silently. Either way, Etna wasn't the most 'faithful' of the vassals, but at least she did her JOB… Etna turned to her. "Come on, Flonne. Let's get outta here." Flonne nodded as she ran after Etna, leaving Laharl by himself on the cold bathroom floor. They both opened the door, and it slammed shut.

The both of them were actually GLAD to get out of there. It wasn't exactly the best environment for them, and it smelled rather sweaty. Yuck. They left Laharl's room and headed towards the Dimensional Gate. Allietta greeted them. She smiled. "Where would you like to go today?" She always continued with her usual routine, no matter what the situation was…

Etna was the first to speak up. "Take us to the Heart of Evil. Don't tell the Prince where we've gone if he asks, okay?" Allietta nodded, but stopped short. "That's the same place the Prince always asks to go around the crack of dawn…" She said quietly to herself as she held out her hand, aura pulsating through her entire body. The portal opened, and the two vassals stepped into it, unaware of what was to be expected.

Indeed, what they didn't expect was a palace by the lake, which wasn't there before. Etna landed softly on the ground, setting sights on the structure. Flonne landed behind her, a soft but heavy sound from her heels colliding with the ground, announcing her entrance. She looked around, taking in her environment, until she too, had set her sights on the palace. Etna shook her head and then looked again. "…This wasn't here before, was it, Flonne?" She asked the fallen angel. Flonne nodded slowly. "Do you think it belongs to that one named 'Mishao'…?" She asked back. They both walked towards the door, Etna grabbing hold of the handle. She put force on it, pulling it open without too much effort. "This place isn't the best made, but it's not the worst, either…"

Flonne spun around as she walked into the opening Etna made, taking in the details of the masterpiece. "Yeah…I wonder who made it…" She replied slowly, her tone sort of melancholy. She then walked into another room, which had a couch and other furniture inside. However, the thing that caught Flonne's attention was not the furniture, but the one ON it. A succubus, with short wavy/curly hair was resting on the couch. She seemed rather comfy.

As the two gathered their surrounds, Mishao slowly opened her eyes. "Huh…?" She came to her senses when she realized that Laharl wasn't in here, but two intruders instead. "Alright, who are you? You've gotta have a VERY good reason for trespassing and disrupting my nap!" She got up from the couch, annoyed to a high extent. Flonne gasped. "Ah! You must be…The one called Mishao?" she questioned her.

Mishao sighed. "I see…I guess you're Laharl's goons, then?" Etna grew a little offended by that term. "Hey, I'm no 'goon'! I'm a vassal, there's a difference. Either way, what's it to you? You're the one who's been making it hard for us!"

She smiled, rather amused at this turn of events. "So, you decided to snoop so you could protest? What a bunch of fools…" Either way, these two were annoying to her. Maybe if she gave a lie or two she could have them out of the door in seconds. If only there was a chance without making it look suspicious…

Her chance came when Flonne spoke up. "Excuse me, but…Miss Mishao? What is Laharl to you?" Mishao gave a slight grin and closed her eyes. "Well, we have a relationship between Master and Slave. I order him around, and he obeys. It's rather simple, really. To me, however, I see him as MORE then a slave…He's a rather amusing and charming boy and I've really grown quite an interest to him. And sometimes, he just can't resist the attention…I think it hits him hard inside…Don't you think..?" She gave a smile, which seemed to give off a message:

_I have won, and I'll always BE the winner. Forget about him._

Flonne stayed silent. Could it really be true? Laharl is Mishao's slave, and they're in love? It can't be that way…She walked towards the door. "Etna, let's go home. I've heard enough of this…" Etna seemed to know from her tone of voice that Flonne was depressed. "Well, MISHAO, now that you've given us POOR hospitality, I think we'll go now." She followed Flonne out of the room, leaving Mishao by herself.

Mishao grinned in victory. Her plan had worked, and they probably wouldn't give her anymore trouble. However, just because of the fact that they found out, she would need to punish her little slave.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Laharl was doing paperwork. He blinked when he realized that he couldn't hear Etna's ranting about lazy Prinnies, or Flonne's yammering about Love…was something up? He got up from his desk and left the room. He saw Etna kicking around Prinnies, but it seemed to be out of frustration…

Etna growled. That trip was for NOTHING, and it just made Flonne feel miserable, not to mention it didn't help about the lunch/break problem! She kicked a Prinny in Laharl direction. Laharl quickly dodged. "What's your problem?" He questioned as the explosion from the Prinny set off. "Oh, nothing; just upset about a little field trip we took last weekend, that's all." Etna grumbled, as she chucked another Prinny, unhappy about the fact it wasn't making her feel better.

Laharl blinked. "WHAT field-trip?" He didn't remember anything about a field-trip…Then again, since the Mishao thing came up, he hadn't been aware of several things. Even putting his own vassals into starvation…Etna sighed. "Well, maybe if you were actually HERE, like a proper overlord should be…YOU'D AT LEAST BE AWARE OF YOUR VASSAL'S PROBLEMS!" She screamed into his face, her fists clenched like iron.

With that, she stormed off. Laharl felt confused, rather shaken up. Did not being there really make that much of a difference? It wasn't like this when they left HIM…So how was it different? They've left him to starve, why did they complain when he didn't mean to do the same? All of those questions flowed through Laharl's head as Etna walked away.

It seemed like this 'field-trip' and the Mishao thing, had torn him away from his vassals. He growled. Etna knew something, and it pissed her off. And with that attitude she gave, it had to do with HIM…What would piss Etna off so much? What has she been trying to find out?

Then it finally hit him. The Mishao thing, tied in with their 'field-trip'…It had to be that! Which meant…Etna knows. She knows about everything…So why's SHE the one who's getting pissed off? Unless…

He ran to the Dimensional Gatekeeper. Allietta smiled. "Where would you like to go, Prince?" She asked. He looked unhappy to her. "Send me to the Heart of Evil. As fast as possible." Allietta was confused. "It's not even the crack of dawn…- …I understand, Prince." She opened the portal, and Laharl rushed through.

He landed hard against the ground. Maybe it showed how pissed off he was. He slammed the doors open, rushing towards where Mishao was. Mishao blinked when she saw him. "It's not even the crack of dawn yet…What are you doing here?" She questioned. The fact that he was growling and his fists were clenched said that he was angry. Mishao didn't like that sort of attitude. He needed to be punished, pronto. She pulled him towards her which caught Laharl off guard. "Gah?" He collided with her breasts, making him freeze in disgust. "W-What are you doing? Let go of me, you stupid sexy body!" He struggled to escape her grip. However, the blood trailing from his wrist told him that her grip was ten times stronger then usual right now. Despite that fact, he still tried, which kept on telling him she had the upper-hand. Mishao placed her hand against his lower back, sending a shiver down his spine. When she pulled him closer, their lips made contact, which freaked him out. Here he was, about to give her a piece of his mind, and then, suddenly this-…! She slipped her tongue into his mouth, molesting the inside of his mouth. He felt disgusted, violated!

She bit his mouth, which made him jerk. Blood started flowing from his mouth into hers, weakening him. She placed more pressure into the kiss, causing Laharl to try to pull away. More blood flowed, and he felt a little drained. She had sucked his blood through his mouth, the disgusting parasite! He finally managed to pull away, air coming back to him. "Yuck! K-Keep away from me!" He yelled at her as he stepped back. However, it seemed that Mishao wanted to embrace him once more, and she pursued him until he hit a wall with his back. Trapped…

He faced her, his fists shaking. Mishao grabbed his wrists, and impacted them against the wall, holding in a firm grip. Laharl tried kicking her away with his hands, but she held him still enough for him to not accomplish anything. It seemed like she had the upper-hand to everything. Mishao proceeded to touch him, her hand taking hold of his scarf. Yanking it off with great force, his collar was exposed. He growled, trying to escape her trap with great effort. "Get away from me! How DARE you treat me like this!" He shook his head furiously, but she placed her breasts in his face, stopping it immediately. He shivered as she proceeded to grab his belt, ready to remove it.

She slipped her dress off, exposing her breasts in his face, which frightened him, really. She placed her hand against the hem of his shorts, taking it off with ease. She placed her lips against his, as he yelled "No!" which was muffled by her lips connecting.

She held him against the wall firmly, as she proceeded to remove her clothes. Grinning, she whispered into his ear as she heard his breath growing rather shaky. "Nobody's gonna help you. Just give up and be the slave you are." With that, she pulled him closer, coming in full contact with him. Laharl was frightened, scared. He closed his eyes, hoping he could imagine himself in another place, but it didn't work. He let out a single tear as she proceeded with his punishment. As it went on, he asked himself the same question:

_Why me…?_

Episode 5: The Pain and Lies-END

And, another episode has been finished. Poor Laharl grew confused and now he's getting his very first full-out punishment.

Anyways, I'll see if I can finish Episode 6 sometime soon.


	6. Episode 6: Poor Unfortunate SoulOR NOT

Episode 6: Poor Unfortunate Soul- OR NOT.

Nothing seemed the same after that day. After that day, Laharl never seemed the same to his vassals, or even to other Overlords. He always looked gloomy and silent. His face was always hidden by his bangs, and he hardly cared about anything.

He still continued to go to the Heart of Evil, though. If he didn't, he would've gotten another punishment, plus ten-fold more. No one questioned him about why he changed, but they always wondered it.

However, one day…

Flonne had finished her love lessons. She smiled and waved good-bye to her students as they each finished their work for the day, and went home. However, after they left, her smile shattered into nothing. She was anything but happy. After she had met Mishao and Laharl changed, everything seemed meaningless. She still thought about Mishao's words, and they always kept her from going back, trying to seek the truth she hoped for.

Her fingers clenched into a fist, and then they started to shake. If she couldn't handle Laharl being Mishao's slave, then how could she change that fact? Was there a way? She didn't know for certain, and it was this that kept her sitting around doing nothing. When she pondered, Mishao would often appear in her thoughts, that smile painted on her face. Flonne shook her head, trying to shoo her out.

But it was this, her image, which got her thinking. Did Laharl really love her? His change…after their visit to Mishao…it seemed too much of a coincidence. Mishao seemed rather annoyed when they first met, but after she explained her feelings for him and that added part, she seemed like she was giving her a message. That she was deceiving her…Flonne growled, fire burning in her eyes.

"Grrr…Mishao! I'll have your HEAD for lying to me!" She screamed. She turned towards the hall leading to the Industrial District, ready to face Mishao again. Since it was daytime, chances were, she would run into Laharl there, too. If that was the case, Laharl could tell her the truth, and Mishao would be proven wrong! If that was the case…it depended on the truth if she would break down or not.

Allietta relaxed against the wall by the Dimensional Gate. After all that happened, she was concerned about the fact that the Prince changed. He used to be so arrogant and annoyed when he would go to the Heart of Evil. Now, he just stayed silent and even gave a slight shiver if she paid enough attention.

She jumped in surprise when she saw Flonne running past the shops, hospitals, straight towards her. Even though she couldn't see since her eyes were closed, she could sense other's movement and sound waves. Flonne was giving off a huge amount of BOTH.

Flonne rushed to Allietta and stopped short when she reached her destination. "Allietta, I need you to send me to the Heart of Evil! It's urgent!" She asked her, panting and gasping as she went. She HAD been running a while… Allietta nodded and prepared herself for the transfer of energy she was about to send. "The Heart of Evil, right? Please, tell me if the Prince is alright if you see him." She asked her, a worried tone in her voice. Flonne nodded. "You can count on me!" As the portal opened, she rushed inside, her heart prepare for what was about to come. Or was it?

The portal opened on the other side as Flonne went through, and landed in the Heart of Evil. As she expected, the palace she wanted to see was by the slimy green lake that accompanied it. She relaxed herself and walked towards the entrance. Grabbing the huge handle, she pulled the door open, and walked through the opening. The door slammed shut, and Flonne winced. Hopefully Mishao doesn't have too keen ears…

But someone did. Just up the stairs, was Laharl. He looked rather tired and exhausted. However the LAST thing he would've expected was Flonne to come right through the front door. He thought of making his presence known like he usually did, but he didn't think it was the best decision. He stayed silent, watching Flonne as she headed for the next room.

Flonne used both of her hands, and pushed the double doors open to the next room. The next room, always looking so fancy, was Mishao's room. Mishao was awake this time, so she didn't seem as cranky as when they first met. Instead, she was relaxed in a crimson cushioned chair, looking rather bored at a table. When Mishao's eyes met Flonne's, she sighed. "You don't look like lunch." She simply stated.

Flonne gasped, insulted. "I'm not a lunch! And I have something to discuss with you!" She pointed in her direction. Mishao shrugged. "Go ahead, speak your mind. Just remember this: I don't have all day to play with you, so try to hurry up with it." Flonne gulped and nodded. Her heart REALLY wasn't prepared for this…" I-Is what you told me before…Are the things you told me last time we met really true? Are you and Laharl in love, and IS Laharl really your slave?" She questioned her, her mouth quoting her thoughts.

Mishao stood up, the palm of her left hand supporting her as she leaned against the table. "Alright, I'll say this to you only once. After that, you need to leave my palace and head home. The things I said to you are only partially true. Laharl is my slave, but he despises me with a burning passion. Anything about what he feels are lies. All of them." She explained. "Now, you have to leave now." She sat back down.

Flonne smiled. Laharl didn't love Mishao…Her smile broke when she thought of his changes. "Hey, Miss Mishao? Before I go…What happened to make Laharl so silent and depressed?" Mishao nodded and sighed. "I merely gave him a punishment for letting his secret get out. He got what was coming to him." She folded her arms and growled. "Anyways…Where's my lunch? That slave should've been done with it about an hour ago!" She faced Flonne again. "You can go now. There's nothing more to say."

Flonne nodded slowly, but stopped short. "But you didn't answer my question. WHAT did you do to turn him into what he currently is?" Her tone seemed rather annoyed, almost…angry. Mishao gave a hard sigh. Why did people always make things so difficult? She was hungry at the moment, too… "Alright, I'll tell you. I raped him into submission. Are you happy now?"

Flonne gasped. "You…RAPED…him into submission…?" She quoted. "W-Why, HOW could you DO such a thing?" She yelled, obviously in protest. It seemed that this surprise trip would take longer then Mishao hoped for. She nodded. "Yes, it was his punishment. He was disobeying me, insulting me, disrespecting me, got ANGRY at me at sudden intervals, and more. Of course I gave him a punishment such as THAT." Flonne shook her head. "OF COURSE he did all that! He NEVER wanted to be your slave in the first place!" She protested.

Mishao growled. "Well, like it or not, he's BOUND by CONTRACT!" She pointed out. She wasn't at the yelling point JUST yet. However, Flonne's squeaky protesting just might make it otherwise. Flonne clenched her fists. Her voice was getting tired. "Either way, you never should've come back to CLAIM him!" Flonne said. It seemed like this was going to get worse and worse…

Laharl growled behind the scene. It was nice that Flonne was backing up for him, but he could do that himself. He just didn't have the strength to. As the girl's yelling grew more powerful and louder, he just screamed. "Ugh, SHUT UP! You guys are making it hard for me to cook!"

Flonne looked up on the balcony above her. Laharl was standing there looking down at them, growling, with his eyes like they usually looked. He didn't seem depressed or anything, but truly ANNOYED. She couldn't help but smile. "Laharl!" She yelled towards him.

He jumped down from the balcony, facing Mishao. "Oh, before you even ask, your lunch is upstairs. Go get it before it gets COLD." He instructed. Mishao sighed and grumbled as she went upstairs. He wasn't broken, just YET. He STILL has some work to do…Flonne smiled and before Laharl could say anything to her, she embraced him, pulling him close to her. "Laharl, you're back…!" She said. "You always seemed so gloomy…"

Laharl sighed. He could understand why she seemed so happy. He WAS really off the past few weeks…"Hmph, no stupid punishment will break ME permanently. Someway or another I'll recover and be a pain in Mishao's ass again." He said in a prideful manner. "E-Either way, stop touching me, I don't like that kind of stuff!" He finally tried to slip out of her grip.

Flonne just let him go freely. Laharl was back to normal, and things would get better again. "Let's go home, Laharl. Please?" She asked him. Laharl looked up the stairs. "Meh, why not…She can't stop me. Just open a portal and we'll be outta here."

Flonne nodded cheerfully, and started to focus on opening a portal back to the Overlord's Castle. They both stepped in, and they were sent at lightning speed back towards the Overlord's Castle. Allietta sensed the energies of the upcoming portal, and opened the gate as fast as she could. The gate opened, and Laharl and Flonne stepped out.

Allietta was glad to see that the Prince was fine, but still…Something was STILL off about him. She could sense that he felt fine, but…at the same time, he wasn't. It was like he wanted to give off the message that he was fine, but in truth, he was feeling just the same he had been feeling through the past few weeks. This sudden recovery seemed too convenient to her. She would've liked to believe what the rest were, but she knew, deep inside, that it was quite the opposite. There was no need to be dishonest with herself; she understood perfectly.

Flonne was happy to announce the news that Laharl was okay again. Laharl watched her, his eyes looking rather bored on the outside, but on the inside…guilty. Allietta watched everyone as Flonne celebrated, and sighed quietly. Since the Prince didn't want the others to know, she was willing to respect his personal thoughts on how to handle things. It was not her place to tell him if he should hide it or not.

Laharl glanced towards Allietta. He could tell she didn't exactly look happy. 'Dang, she must've seen through me…'He thought, giving a slight wince. However, he saw that she wasn't doing anything about it in any form, so he figured it was fine like this. The rest didn't need to know.

He then realized that he would probably get punished again for leaving his job while Mishao was eating… "Oh, well. It won't be as bad as back then…" He mouthed quietly to himself, his thoughts not on the fact he was home, but the nightmare he had to go through. He decided since he was here, he might as well make the most of it and take a nap.

Flonne noticed him as he walked past everyone and headed into the next room. However, that wasn't the exact thing that Flonne noticed. She noticed, on Laharl's lower back, a wound almost hidden by his scarf. It seemed rather old and scarred up now, but it still made Flonne wonder. A wound like that could not be already turned into a scar over a few weeks. Especially one that looks like it's been there a while.

Could there be something Laharl wasn't telling her?

Episode 6: Poor Unfortunate Soul-OR NOT.-END

Mares-a-Mares: Laharl seems to be hiding a mysterious wound! What could it be?

Laharl: Hey, keep out of my business!

Flonne: Could it be from an event a long time ago!

Laharl: Why are you EVEN doing this dumb story…And why are you joining her, Flonne?

Mares-a-Mares: Next, on "A Foolish Bet": Episode 7- Within the Mask!

Laharl: Ignore this nutcase!

Flonne: Shh~! I'm trying to watch!

Anyways, preview over and done with, I made a quick update and wanted to get this chapter through. Please review and tell me what I could do better with, I'm always open for ideas.


	7. Episode 7: The Mask Within

Episode 7: The Mask Within

Since that day, Flonne observed Laharl when he came home every night. Nothing seemed different, he always came back tired, but still as his prideful, arrogant self. This helped Flonne think that everything was going to be fine, but as he turned around and she could see his back, the wound was always there, just almost covered by the scarf. It was there, and that always brought her down.

It was this wound that worried her. It could've been an old battle wound, yes, but it seemed unnatural. While the wound was hideous, the thing she was worried about was the purplish veins that came from the wound and seemed to have spread from there. It looked rather painful, and Flonne wondered if this was the reason he didn't sleep on his back; but on his side instead. Where did he get it from in the first place? "…Laharl always looks fine in the end, no matter the situation. Doesn't he feel depressed about things, and just want to break down?" Flonne said to herself, not even realizing that it was aloud.

Etna just happened to hear her. She thought about Flonne's words, and slowly made her entrance. "The Prince…is complicated in many ways, as far as I know. Sometimes he hides things he believes others don't need to know. I think he was planning to completely hide the Mishao thing the whole time, but we found out anyway." She said; a rather serious tone in her voice. Flonne looked up at her in wonder, acknowledging. "Etna…I noticed a wound on Laharl's lower back. Do you know where he got it from?" She asked her.

Etna winced somewhat, and then gave a very deep sigh. "Well…That would be digging into the past, Flonne. I don't know all the details, but I DO know some. It probably couldn't help you much." She said, almost hesitant to pick up what was dropped years ago. Flonne nodded, and smiled. "Please do tell what you know, Etna. Even a single clue can lead to something." She prompted her.

Etna looked away as she sighed, her eyes half-open in a thoughtful way. "Well…It was 1310 years ago. I was still a little girl about that time, but much older then the Prince was. I first met him when he was 6 years old. I didn't see him anytime before then, because I was just a lowly vassal working in the castle. Like I said, everyday was frustrating…Until then. The Prince, when I met him, was as he is now, but much kinder and considerate. Prideful and arrogant, yes, but he was sweet none the less. When he met me, he helped me stand up, taught me to fight…Everything seemed like they were going better for me…" She paused, thinking hard. "Well…I thought it was gonna get better, but as the Prince grew to be about…21, I think…He was required to go to "Maritsu Evil Academy", a school made as a social community for heirs and those alike." She paused, thinking hard inside of her head for more details.

"Despite his protests, he went." She continued. "After he came back, he changed. Not only did he refuse to accept any affection from anyone, including his own mother, but he was badly wounded. Only the late queen, with her magic, could heal them. Her power wasn't enough to heal it all. The Prince was merely given bandages for the time being. Everything healed from that incident, except for that one wound, which became a scar. Even now, that wound hurts him, I'm sure. He's been dealing with it for more than 1000 years. He used to sprawl all along the coffin, until then. Now, he curls up. I think it might be a defense mechanism or something like that, and he always seems to have nightmares about it. …But that's all I know." She finished, taking a deep breath to catch her train of thoughts again.

Flonne was on the verge of crying. "Laharl had to go through a terrible time in the PAST, too?" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "That's too sad…Poor, poor Laharl…If only there was someway I could help…So far I've been able to do nothing except make everything worse for him. Just more burden for him to deal with…" She allowed the tears to fall, just spouting everything that came to her mind. Etna sighed, Flonne was at it again…crying again and again…But it was sad. The Prince never had much luck to begin with. He always had someone try to kill him, or he ended up in a bad situation…He tries to hide everything, even NOW…It must be frustrating for him when we pull pranks, making everything harder for him.

After Flonne had her little drama moment; the two set back to work, Laharl's past still lingering inside their minds. They both wondered what happened over 1000 years ago back at the academy. Therefore, because of this, neither of them could work properly until their minds were satisfied with the answers they had to seek. Etna gave a long sigh as she rested against the wall, Prinnies lazing about on the floors. She hadn't given so much dedication to her work since the whole Mishao fiasco STARTED…

They wondered about many things, but they didn't take action to find out the truth of the matter. They were actually afraid to.

Meanwhile, at Mishao's palace, Laharl was stuck working hard. It had just passed lunchtime and he was clearing the dishes from the snack he had to make for Mishao off the table. He really didn't like to clean up another's mess, but he had no choice in the matter. Work was work. That did not mean that he didn't hold a grudge afterwards…

After all cleaning was done, he allowed himself to fall right onto the floor, deciding that now was a good time, to take a short break from his work. Besides, the old hag hadn't given him anything ELSE to do since he was finished…Mishao walked into the room, noticing her exhausted slave curled on the floor. She thought it would be amusing to place her right foot on his side. As soon as her shoe came in contact with his side, Laharl looked over, and got up in a flash. He did NOT like her touching him in any way!

Mishao blinked and settled down. "Well, you shouldn't have been on the floor in the first place. It's your fault for being too careless again." She pointed out, trying to change the person responsible. Laharl just grinned, his pride overflowing through him. "Well, if YOU hadn't thought of it in the FIRST place…Doing it anyway would just make you a bully." He pointed out, causing Mishao actually allow her jaw to drop. "Oh, and close that mouth. You look like an idiot." He finished, Mishao slowly recovering herself. "Grrr…" She grumbled. What did it take to BREAK this kid?

Mishao lowly growled, and reached over to grab Laharl's shoulder, impacting him against the wall. On contact, he gasped as he slammed against the wall, his back wound taking damage. Laharl looked up at her, hatred in his eyes. It made Mishao notice…That he was just defending himself since his punishment. Despite noticing that, she decided to knock some sense into him. "Why do you try to convince me AND others that you've taken NO permanent damage from me?" She questioned him, her shadow looming over him. Laharl growled and shook his head. "W-Why do you think I HAVE?" He answered back, his voice rather off from his prideful, arrogant, and annoying self. It seemed almost…scared.

Mishao gave a deep sigh, her cold breath making Laharl give a slight shiver. "…Forget it. It's a waste to question you. Make sure to clean up the castle, and then you can go home." She slowly unfastened her hands from his wrist, making the marks she had constantly created there visible. Laharl gave a small wince and then quickly stood up straight, his pride embracing him again. "Fine, you'd BETTER send me back home afterwards, though! Otherwise you might not live to see the light of day." He warned her as she walked away.

Mishao just rolled her eyes at the threat. "Yeah, yeah, whatever…I'm going to bed." She announced, her voice somewhat tired, exhausted. Laharl managed to catch her words with his sharp hearing, and he growled in response. "It's NOT 'yeah, yeah, whatever'! How DARE you mock me!"

As soon as Mishao was away from his sight, he slumped onto the ground, his legs giving out. He gave a short, sudden sigh of relief as he fell. He was about to let the rest of him fall to the ground, but he supported the rest of himself with the palm of his hands. "I…I actually thought she was gonna punish me again…" He said; his voice almost audible, and somewhat shaky. His hands turned into fists, and then he stood up. "Well, let's get to work…" He grumbled, his emotions quickly changing from what they were before. He wasn't going to allow anyone to see him like that…!

Mishao observed him through a crystal ball in her hands as she relaxed on her bed. "Hmm…So he hides his true self with a mask called "Pride"…Does this mean he's already most of the way broken?" She questioned herself as she observed him.

Back at the Overlord's Castle, Flonne decided to NOT let things sit like they were. His past connected with Maritsu Evil Academy, so it was obvious that to find clues, you would have to go there. She stood up from where she was sitting and headed towards the Industrial District. She ran towards Allietta, determination in her eyes. Flonne faced her. "Allietta…Please send me to Maritsu Evil Academy!" She begged her. Allietta, as if on instinct, was about to confirm the portal for opening the Heart of Evil, but then she quickly wanted to check. "T-The Heart of Evil, right?" She asked her.

Flonne shook her head. "No, this time I want to go to Maritsu Evil Academy. Please don't tell Laharl or Etna where I've gone." She begged her again. Allietta understood this time, and prepared the portal for the coordinates of Maritsu Evil Academy. "Please wait for a moment while the coordinates process."

Flonne nodded, and looked up towards the ceiling. Thoughts of Laharl and Etna came to her mind. 'What they must've felt back then…How much they suffered, and Laharl…' She looked towards Allietta, her thoughts interrupted by the opening of the portal. Allietta smiled. "Thank you for your wait. Please be careful during your trip…And please…I hope that you find out something about the Prince there." She begged her, Flonne gladly taking her wishes and placing them on her shoulder.

"It's alright. I'll try my best to find out something…" She hugged the worried Dimensional Gatekeeper and proceeded to enter the Academy. As soon as she stepped out, things would have never been the same. Flonne gulped as the infamous academy stood in front of her, the doors leading her in. She thought that maybe, as soon as she walked through those doors, she would never return.

Flonne took that step, and rang the doorbell. A Prinny opened it. Flonne looked down at the Prinny, sitting down to its height. "Excuse me, but can I come inside to observe something? I believe something happened at this academy over 1000 years ago." She kindly asked the Prinny. The Prinny, however, shook his head. "Nope, gotta talk to Lord Mao first, dood. Otherwise things could get ugly, dood." Flonne pouted and then quickly nodded. "Oh…Well, could you please take to Lord Mao, then? I beg of you."

The Prinny blushed as he nodded. This mysterious blonde was a beauty! If he had something like THAT on his case…His thoughts were interrupted when Flonne gave a bright smile. "Y-You will? Oh, thank you very much!" Her smile showed genuine happiness. It seemed like she really needed to talk to Lord Mao. The Prinny grinned. "Right this way, dood!"

Flonne gladly followed the Prinny, thinking that maybe, just maybe, she would be able to find out the key to unlock Laharl's secrets. All she had to do was talk to this Lord Mao, and then she could try to figure out something. The Prinny closed the door behind her, and began to escort her to Lord Mao. Flonne was cheerful and happy on the outside, but she was actually worried on the inside. She kept reassuring herself in her head, trying to tell herself that things were okay…

Everything will be fine…

Episode 7: The Mask Within-END

Mares-a-Mares: Flonne head to the academy alone! What will she find out?

Laharl: Why's she going there? Hey, what's going on?

Mishao: Of course we would be left out of this event…

Mares-a-Mares: Could there be a mysterious scandal from the past, and Flonne finds out the true relationship between Laharl and what's-her-face?

Laharl: Hey, I'm not involved in a scandal!

Flonne: Ah, Laharl!

Mares-a-Mares: Next on "A Foolish Bet"! "Tears of Dried Blood"! Look forward to it!

Flonne: I don't like the sound of that title…

Alright, sorry for the wait and ridiculous preview aside…I was trying to figure out how to do this chapter, even though I was looking forward to it. Anyways, it looks like you get a small history lesson from Etna, a spying scene from Mishao with the whole crystal ball bit, a naughty Prinny, and Flonne going on her own to the academy. Bad choice, Flonne…Please review and tell me how I could do better!

-Mares-a-Mares


	8. Episode 8: Tears of Dried Blood

Episode 8: Tears of Dried Blood

Flonne gulped as she sat in the waiting room. The Prinny who was escorting her already excused himself, signaling she was on her own from now on. Her hand clenched into fists. What if she didn't find anything? What could she say to Allietta? She promised her…

Shaking her thoughts out of her head, she looked at the paintings on the wall. Each painting looked carefully made, capturing even the slightest of detail. Flonne looked up at them in wonder; they seemed to be paintings of powerful people. As she observed them, the school bell rang, throwing her out of her trance. She gasped at contact as it rang through her ears.

Since she became a Fallen Angel, her hearing grew sharper, so it was almost unbearable. As she covered her ears, the bell stopped short, and the office door opened. She saw a navy-blue haired human boy step out; his attention seemed to be from inside the room.

A voice came from inside the wide-open door. "And don't come back until it wears off, I'll have cameras looking for results!" It seemed to be towards the human who just left, running at top speed. Flonne gulped again, her worries growing more intense than they were. The voice spoke up again. "Next!"

She stepped in through the doorway. "Excuse me…" She spoke up. "Are you Lord Mao?" She questioned the voice. She couldn't see who it was exactly, since she could only see the back of his chair. However, as the chair turned around, she could see he had white fluffy hair, sharp red eyes with glasses over them, and a red coat that seemed to serve as a cape. Underneath that, he had a black turtleneck, and grey shorts with red peculiar shoes. As she observed him, he spoke up. "Yeah, whadda you want? Better not be a donation request of any kind." He looked rather annoyed, almost…bored.

Flonne decided to get to business. "Actually, though that'd be nice, I've come here for another purpose. I would like it if I could have access to a certain student's files that used to go here. Please, it's really important." She asked him. Mao leaned in towards her, interested. "Why the hell do you wanna touch a student's file? Another attempt to pull a better prank then ME? Me, with my 18. Million IQ?" He questioned her.

Flonne shook her head. "No, not a prank…I need to find out some information from over 1000 years ago. There's someone whose secret I'm trying to find out." Mao blinked and slouched in his chair. "Huh, that's all? Meh, it probably wouldn't be too much of a loss. Who's files?"

Flonne lit up. "Um, do you know of a student named Laharl? Has blue hair with antennas, owns a big red scarf?" Mao put his hand to his lips in a thoughtful manner. As he thought hard, something flashed past his eyes.

-1295 years ago, Maritsu Evil Academy-

Voices bounced through the hallway as a young fluffy white-haired child walked through, ignoring the foolish activities going on around him. He held in his hand a game console, clicking away in record time. Behind him, another child walked by. He seemed a lot younger then him, but despite of that, their eyes hit contact.

The younger one was the first to speak. "Hey…What'cha doing, hangings around the hallways like that?" He questioned him. The other one looked up from his game, showing full contact. "What does it LOOK like I'm doing? I'm playing a game. Anyways…Who are you?"

"I'm Prince Laharl. I'm the heir to my netherworld's throne." He introduced himself, pride showing on his face brightly as he shook his bangs from his face. "And you are?"

The older one grinned, putting his game away in his pocket. "I'm the son of the dean, Mao. Someday I'll own this academy, then everyone ELSE will bow down to ME!" He too, showed a large amount of pride. This amused Laharl. "Heh…So YOU think that I'M gonna bow to you?" He grinned. "Maybe in another lifetime!"

Mao growled. "Oh, yeah? Who says I can't beat you up now? You look so powerless." Laharl cringed. He never liked getting threatened into a fight… "Actually, it's almost time for my next class, maybe another time." He turned to walked away. Mao sighed. "So, you're planning to become a delinquent, huh? You're too weak to try to become an honor student?"

Laharl twitched, and tried to calm himself down. Remember Mother's teachings… "Actually, I'm hoping to aim for neither. I just don't wanna get in trouble." He mumbled to himself. "I never wanted to be in this stupid place, so why bother?" He said aloud as he walked off.

Mao growled. "What a weird kid…He DARE mocks me…"

"Excuse me?" A female voice echoed through the air. "Lord Mao?"

Mao shook himself out of his daydream. "…What?" He came to his senses and relaxed in his chair. "Oh, you. Yeah, I know of someone like that. His files should be in the student records. I'll send someone so you don't try anything funny."

Flonne smiled. "Oh, thank you very much! That means a lot to me and my friends." As she smiled, her thoughts started bursting through her mind. Was there really something there? And if there WAS…what?

The same midnight blue haired man came to greet her. He walked into the room, and faced Mao. "You sent for me, Lord Mao?" He cringed as Mao turned to face him. "Take her to the student files; make sure she doesn't wreck anything." He ordered him.

He nodded, and faced Flonne. "Well…follow me, then." Flonne observed him as she walked beside him. He seemed a little timid, but courageous and strong on the inside. Like a Defender of Earth! As they continued on their way, Flonne thought it'd be good to carry a conversation.

She was the first to speak. "Umm…So, what's your name? I'm Fallen Angel Flonne. I preach about Love." The boy looked towards her and smiled. "I'm Almaz von Almadine Adamant, but you can just call me Almaz." He answered. "So…Why're you trying to get into the file room?"

Flonne sighed. "Well…Someone very important to me is hurt, and I think it may have connections to when he used to go here. If he's hiding something, I thought it could be in his files…" She closed her eyes in a thoughtful as she looked up to the ceiling, stairs high above her range of sight. She then faced Almaz again. "Mr. Almaz? Do you know of any events that happened here around 1000 years ago?"

Almaz thought hard. "Well…There's not really much to tell around that time because I wasn't here then, but I heard rumors about something that happened around…was it…1294 years ago?" Flonne gasped at this. Could this be the answer she was waiting for? "Please, tell me what you know!" She begged him, her eyes widened with excitement.

Almaz sighed. "M-Maybe later. Come on, we're almost there." He ignored her pleas, hoping that he wouldn't have to talk about it. The two walked in silence until Almaz came to a hidden door. He flipped a card in, and the door opened on its own. Flonne was entranced with the door, but her attention was moved to another location. Her eyes widened as she looked at the shelves, mountains, and piles of files. "It's so HUGE!" She yelled as her voice bounced across the entire room.

As Flonne ran to look for evidence, Almaz sighed deeply. It was a depressing thing to hear about; that rumor…

Meanwhile at Mishao's palace, Laharl was taking a nap. He was tired from all the orders and demands and he needed to rest. Mishao watched him sound asleep on the couch, almost as if he was trying to curl up. However, in his current angle, curling up was impossible. While his face looked like it was at peace, something seemed a little off to her. His fists were clenched, almost to the point of bruising…

She decided to pay it no mind. Even though as his master and had to take responsibilities for him, she decided that it would be too troublesome to get involved. She continued to watch him as he slept, and then she sat beside him, lifting him up off the couch, and into her arms. Was this kid always this skinny, or has he been deprived of food more then he should be? Even in sleep, he flinched on contact as she held him, making her want to sigh out of frustration.

There seemed to be more silence then Mishao could bear. She decided it would be amusing to shake him awake in mid-air. She started her prank by holding him upside down by the feet, and then started to shake the living nightlights out of him. Laharl seemed to be taking it well however, not being affected by this prank at all. Mishao grumbled and lifted him upright, to hold him against her chest. That should wake him…

Surprisingly, Laharl woke up with a jolt. His eyes widened as he hit impact with her monstrous implants. He could hardly start to complain. "W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-what…" He stuttered, looking up. Then, it hit. All of a sudden, without thought, an energy blast sent Mishao across the room. Laharl, of course, took the damage thanks to the collar, but she was away from him now. Laharl finally came to his senses, but it was too late. Mishao was getting up, growling with raging fire in her eyes. "I'm going to punish you GOOD…Even though the collar protected me, you STILL managed to damage me…Even IF it was only a little bit…" She stood up, her eyes locked onto her idiotic slave. "You DARE defy me…"

Laharl gulped. Was he going to be tortured again…He thought of any place he could escape to, but Mishao had already gotten his personal bubble.

The last thing Laharl remembered was being pinned against the wall with claws in his wrists. Everything had gone black and red. As he was held, thoughts of the past came to his mind. To be reminded of that time felt like going through it all over again.

Back at the Academy, Flonne had found what she was looking for. She held Laharl's files in her hands, but there wasn't too much except the fact he had constantly gone to the nurse's office. She pouted and faced Almaz. "Thank you for helping me anyway. I should've known it wouldn't be in something like records or something like that."

Almaz nodded back to her, and then thought hard. "B-Before you go, do you want to hear that rumor?" He asked her. Flonne gained interest in a split second. "Please do!"

Almaz began. "Well, around 1294 years ago…There was a rumor that a student was sexually abused by a teacher. Later, that student left school and skipped their second course. The teacher got away with it and left the school later on. I'm not sure if it'll do you much good, but that's it." He finished.

Flonne gasped. "Oh my…That's just terrible…Didn't anybody help the poor student?" She questioned him. Almaz replied with a quieter tone. "It's just a rumor, though it'd be depressing if it were true…" He said. "Come on, I need to lock up now." She slowly walked out. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Almaz. I don't think I would've gotten anywhere if it wasn't for you helping me."

Flonne's visit to the Academy didn't do her much good, but it did make her wonder even more. When she returned to the Overlord's Castle, Etna was in front of the gate. Flonne blinked as she landed on the ground. "E-Etna, why are you just sitting there?"

Etna sighed deeply. "Well, I shoved out from Allietta that you went to the Academy alone. Spill anything you know." She confronted the Fallen Angel. Flonne gulped and sighed. She was caught. "Well, it really wasn't much. All that came close to helping me is the constant nurse's office visits and a rumor from 1294 years ago." She explained.

As Etna thought hard of the connections, a portal had opened to distract the two. Blood dripped from the edge of the portal as an unrecognizable figure walked through the passageway. Flonne and Etna were speechless. The portal closed, and the figure just dropped to the floor, unconscious. Flonne decided the best choice would be to carry it to the hospital.

As she and Etna lifted the bloody figure, a patch of blood landed across Flonne's face, staining her ribbons and hair. Whoever this was, thought of the castle as a paradise, and this one REALLY needed treatment; badly.

They eventually got the person to the hospital, where the wounds on it were observed. However, unfortunately, the wounds could not be cured with standard healing procedures. As they observed more, they found out that this person wasn't an "it", it was a "him", and a very special him at that.

Since they couldn't heal him, they had to bandage every wound and place him in bed. Nothing else that was known could be done for him. Everything else passed as a blur, and…eventually, Flonne visited his room, hoping for a ray of hope for him.

She opened the door slowly, feeling heartbroken as her eyes saw just who it was. She knew already, but it was hard to believe it. Flonne stepped in front of the bed.

"…Laharl…Are you awake?" She questioned. As if on cue, the young demon's eyes slowly opened. "…F-…Flonne…?" He breathed out. Flonne tried her best to hold back tears. "Laharl, what exactly happened to you…? You're hurt badly…And the hospital lady can't cure it." She explained, her voice telling him that she was about ready to fall apart. Laharl couldn't allow something like that. "I-I'm…I'm just…fine…" He tried to convince her, but Flonne shook her head. "You're not fine…You weren't fine the whole time…right? Mishao…She must've hurt you again…It shows on your wounds…" She said quietly, trying to keep to Laharl's tone of voice.

The two sit in the room, the aura giving off a sad, depressing, and rather devastating feeling.

Episode 8- Tears of Dried Blood-END

Mares-a-Mares: Oh, no! Oh, this is terrible~!"

Laharl: Yuck, this "blood" is in my hair~!

Flonne: This is taking a rather dark and depressing mood, isn't it?

Mares-a-Mares: Now that Laharl cannot go himself to Mishao, Mishao goes right to her slave's front door!

Laharl: Don't even THINK about it!

Mares-a-Mares: But, can she compete with Laharl's darkest fear?

Flonne: And who would that be?

Mares-a-Mares: Next on "A Foolish Bet", Episode 9: The Only Cure! Look forward to it!

Laharl: Somebody shoot me…

Sorry for the delay, I hope you enjoy the chapter.


End file.
